John vs. Maron

While the entire sea was in an uproar over the news, at the center of the incident,

Hachinosu was livelier than ever.

The pirates were already preparing for a major battle, rearranging the island's buildings and rebuilding the damaged coastline.

On top of that, more pirate crews had heard the news and were flocking to Hachinosu.

Clearly, they didn't want to miss this major event.

The number of pirates had exploded, and the island had suddenly become a chaotic mix of all sorts.

With every pirate having a short fuse, arguments broke out at the slightest disagreement, and a few heated words led straight to a fight. Hachinosu had become a complete mess.

Not that it had been much better to begin with.

On a main road used to transport cargo, two men regarded as big shots by ordinary pirates were confronting each other.

"John, what's the meaning of this? I'm only injured, not dead!"

"Hey, what's with you? I told you, I only stepped in because someone was stealing treasure. You should be thanking me."

"Bullshit! That was my fucking money! How dare you touch it!"

"A pirate may love treasure, but he takes it the proper way~"

As their names made clear, one of them was John of the Rocks Pirates.

The other was also a member of the Rocks Pirates.

Mafia boss Maron.

John wore a mischievous grin, while Maron's expression was gloomy, anger simmering beneath the surface.

Quite a few pirates were watching the show. Word of what had happened to Maron had spread, and everyone knew he had nearly died at Ochoku's hands.

Although Maron had survived, the incident had still damaged his standing on Hachinosu.

That was how the world of pirates worked.

They flocked to the strong and trampled the weak.

No matter how powerful someone had once been, the moment he showed weakness like an aging lion, the others would turn into hungry wolves and descend upon him.

Maron knew that himself.

The matter was simple enough.

Maron's men had been moving valuables when John passed by and said he wanted to check whether anyone was secretly keeping some for himself. The pirates from the mafia naturally refused.

Even if John was a pirate on the same level as their boss, he had no right to do that.

When the dispute broke out, a few minor pirates had no way to resist. John knocked them down and left with several chests of valuables.

When Maron received word, he came to confront John in person, leading to the exchange just now.

"All right, all right! I apologize. Can't I just give your stuff back?" John spread his hands helplessly. A chest rose from the roadside and landed at Maron's feet.

Maron didn't even look at it. His face remained cold, and his eyes gleamed fiercely beneath the brim of his black hat.

"What? That's still not good enough?" John said.

"John, everyone knows how greedy you are. If you really want those things, I'll give them to you." Maron spoke in an odd tone.

"Really?" John's face lit up.

The other pirates looked at one another strangely. Was Maron, the victim, actually backing down?

Didn't that mean anyone would be able to bully Maron from now on?!

"Boss..."

"Stand down!"

Several of his men couldn't bear to listen anymore and stepped forward to speak, but Maron waved them off, and they had no choice but to retreat.

Maron unfastened the coat draped over his shoulders and tossed it onto the ground. Then he rolled up his sleeves and tightened his black leather gloves.

"Oh? What are you going to do?" John sized Maron up with interest, his gaze briefly lingering on the bandages visible beneath his collar.

"Nothing much. Just beat you to death." Maron clenched his hands, and jet-black Armament Haki coated his fists.

"Hey, hey, there's no need to..."

Before John could finish, he hurriedly retreated.

Maron's feet moved swiftly, his stride bold and forceful as he bore down on John.

"Punk Gibson!"

John waved his hand, snatching away the weapons of numerous pirates by the roadside and forming them into mechanical arms.

Bang, bang, bang, bang~

The two figures rapidly crossed paths amid the clash of steel. Their immense force shattered the ground beneath their feet, and every punch sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.

Many of the watching pirates felt it was worth it, even though John had taken their weapons.

"It's no use, Maron! You're no match for me!" John was still smiling as his two mechanical hands swiftly blocked Maron's attacks with ease.

Maron suddenly raised a hand, folded in his middle, ring, and little fingers, and raised his thumb, pointing his straightened index finger at John.

"What are you..." John froze.

Bang!

A louder report drowned out the rest of John's words.

John tilted his head. A streak of blood marked the side of his face, and a pungent burnt smell rose from the hair by his ear.

A wisp of black smoke curled from Maron's finger. That was no finger—it was clearly a pistol!

"What about now?" Maron blew on his finger.

John's expression shifted repeatedly. "What was that? A Devil Fruit ability? But I never knew you were an ability user!"

"Landmine Man!" Maron suddenly transformed. His body and limbs contracted, and his entire body became a disc.

The next second, a violent explosion rang out!

John burst out of the smoke, looking somewhat battered, but he was more surprised than anything.

The attack wasn't over.

"Black Hand Missile!!"

Maron, who had somehow returned to normal, held out his hands... He really did launch them!

Both his hands shot out, jets blasting from behind them as they locked onto John.

"Assign Repel Hand!"

John spread his hands, drawing in the surrounding metal to envelop himself in a shell.

The Black Hand Missiles struck and exploded.

Even so, Maron's hands wouldn't really be gone after exploding. An Arms-Arms Fruit user could turn any part of his body into a weapon.

Even if he turned himself into a bomb and exploded, he could recover from the fragments.

"I get it. You ate the Arms-Arms Fruit, right? But don't forget... I'm a magnet man!"

John opened his palm and used magnetism to pull Maron toward him.

When he saw Maron being pulled against his will, he burst out laughing.

"Fool! My ability is superior to yours!"

Click!

Just then, a long cylindrical tube suddenly emerged from beneath Maron's clothes.

It was shaped like a thin water pipe and swayed around like a tentacle, yet it also sensed its surroundings like a serpent's flicking tongue.

After a moment, the tube retracted, and the magnetic force John was exerting on Maron stopped working.

"I can read information about known abilities and adapt myself to them, taking on a new form. It's the Attack Kaleidoscope."

The corner of Maron's mouth curled into a mocking smile.

John couldn't believe it, but his eyes soon widened when he saw the silver chain emerging from Maron's glove.

"That's?!" John was shocked.

"I'll show you, though you're no stranger to it." Maron slowly drew a breath.

The next second, Maron's eyes lit up, and a silver-white letter "K" appeared in their glow.

Whoosh!

A colossal pillar of light pierced the sky! It was silver-white overall, tinged faintly red at the edges, with an irregular star at the top.

"Vollständig: Familiar of God!"